1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multilayer ceramic electronic component having excellent reliability by improving an influence of step height therein, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with the recent trend for the miniaturization of electronic products, the demand for compact and high capacitance multilayer ceramic electronic components has increased.
Therefore, dielectric and inner electrode layers of multilayer ceramic electronic components have been thinned and increasingly layered through various methods. Recently, multilayer ceramic electronic components having a reduction in the thickness of dielectric layers while having an increased number of laminated layers have been manufactured.
As the thicknesses of the dielectric and inner electrode layers are reduced to secure high capacitance, the influence of step height may be increased due to the thicknesses of the inner electrodes.
As the influence of step height is increased, cracking may occur.
In addition, in a case in which inner electrodes are compressed and fill the empty step portion, discontinuity of the inner electrodes may be severe, resulting in deteriorated reliability.
Meanwhile, as the inner electrodes are thinned, the thicknesses thereof may not be uniform and may not be continuous, and thus, the inner electrodes may be partially disconnected, resulting in deteriorated connectivity.
Furthermore, as the inner electrodes are disconnected, the thicknesses of the dielectric layers may be partially increased or reduced. In this case, insulating properties may be deteriorated in portions in which the dielectric layers are thinned, whereby the reliability thereof may be deteriorated.